Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6D

Ron McBee, Chair

June 13, 2011

Business Meeting

Arena Stage, The Mead Center for American Theatre, 1101 Sixth Street, S.W.

 

Minutes

As Approved by ANC 6D on July 11, 2011

 

 

Present: Commissioners Bob Craycraft, David Garber, Rhonda Hamilton, Andy Litsky, Ron McBee, Roger Moffatt, and Cara Shockley.

 

Also in attendance: Bert Randolph, Staff Assistant

 

Commissioner McBee called the meeting to order at 7:05

 

1.  Agenda

 

Chairman McBee removed the following items from the agenda:

- Item 10 Resolution for Bikeshare Station Near Southeast

- Item 11 Resolution for Trash Bin at Southwest Duck Pond

Chairman McBee added the Metro Bus # 74 Route

 

Kirsten Bowden was noted as a replacement for Chris Taylor for Item 12 (Pepco Smart Meter Program).  Diane Groomes' title was corrected to Assistant Chief on Item 5 (New Commander and Re-Apportionment of MPD).  The agenda was approved as amended by a vote of 7-0.

 

2.  Introduction of Commission

 

3.  Announcement of July Meeting

 

Chairman McBee announced the next meeting date as Monday, July 11, at 7:00pm at 1101 Fourth Street, S.W., in the second floor conference room, and advised that this location would be the semi-permanent home for future ANC business meetings.

 

4.  Meeting Announcements

 

June 18th - 9:00am - Southwest Duck Pond monthly community clean-up

June 25th - 11:00am - DC Vote rally at Lafayette Square

June 25th - 1:00pm - Ward 6 Family Day at The Yards Park

June 27th - 7:00pm - Southwest Neighborhood Assembly at St. Augustine's Episcopal Church

 

5.  New Commander and Re-apportionment of MPD

 

Assistant Chief Diane Groomes discussed MPS redistricting and how it would impact the Near SE/Southwest neighborhoods with a more focus police force that no longer had responsibility for the National Mall and the federal monuments areas.  With the current scheme, she noted our District One MPD had 23% of the District's coverage versus an expected norm of 15% for all calls.  Additionally, MPD has divided PSA 101 into two PSAs (Gallery Place) to provide additional support.

 

6.  Public Safety Report - First District MPD (PSA's 104 and 105)

 

Lt. Gallucci provided an update on public safety issues in the area.  Violent crime in the district is up 100% from the same period in 2010 due to robberies, 11 of which have occurred in just the past 30 days.  There is an increase in juvenile crime with snatching-style robberies.  All Assaults with Deadly Weapon offences have been friend or family related incidents.  The use of Segway mobile devices and bicycles is proving to be very effective and accounted for two arrests Lt. Gallucci felt would otherwise not have been made.  Calls to the Safeway store have dropped from an average of five or six per month to about one per month since the introduction of the new receipt-checking format versus security guards.  When asked, Lt. Gallucci did not know if that was because of fewer incidents or if the new format is less conducive to police being called when a disturbance occurs.

 

7.  Approval of March, April, and May Minutes

 

Commissioner Craycraft made the motion as ANC6D Secretary and it was seconded by Commissioner Garber to approve the March, April, and May Minutes as submitted.  The motion was passed by a vote of 7-0.

 

8.  Waterfront Associates Update

 

Gordon Fraley, for Vornado and David Smith, Forest City Washington, managers for Waterfront Associates, LLC reported on the buildings on the East and West side of the 1100 block of Fourth Street, S.W., provided an update on area development.  The former EPA Towers directly east and west of the Vornado-managed buildings have been sold to Urban Atlantic for redevelopment as housing, with construction to start in the September 2011 - March timeframe and to include approximately 400 units.  The point of contact for Urban Atlantic was provided as being Allen Letterman (301.280.6600).

 

The two Vornado-managed buildings have been sold to USAA Real Estate; Vornado will continue as the managing agent for the next 5 years.  TD Bank has signed a lease for the space immediately north of the Station4 restaurant on the west side of Fourth Street; an opening is at least one year away due to regulatory and construction issues unique to opening a banking location.  Z Burger, west of Station 4, is still scheduled to open on the Southwest corner.  CVS is modifying their store layout and will be adding self-service registers.  CVS, Safeway, and the Subway locations all report their sales are positive versus their respective corporate standards and expectations.  Mr. Fraley confirmed that Vornado Management maintains two off-duty police officers for security from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.  There are no other leases close to being signed but several in under discussion.

 

9.  Southwest Playground Project DPR Partnership

 

Felicia Couts, Project Manager for the Southwest Playground Project (SWPP) requested the Commission's support of SWPP's request to be recognized as a participant in the Department of Parks and Recreation's Park Partners Program.  Commissioner Litsky made a motion for a letter of support to be drafted for SWPP's application, seconded by Commissioner Shockley.  The motion was passed by a vote of 7 to 0, with Chairman McBee noting to Ms. Couts that the ANC's support was specifically for the SWPP to be recognized as the official community group working on the project under the Park Partners program, and not for a specific location as there was community resistance to the proposed Library Park/Town Center East Park location.

 

10.  Pepco Smart Meter Program

 

Kristen Bowden and Reginald Woodson from Potomac Electric Power Company (Pepco) discussed the new Smart Meters being installed through the end of 2011.  The new meters are being installed at no direct cost to homeowners and will provide a much more detailed electrical usage report for consumers, as well as more reliable meter readings.  Detailed information is available at www.pepco.com on the "My Account" toolbar.

 

11.  St. Matthews Redevelopment Update

 

Adam Weers, Senior Vice President for Trammell Crow, lead a presentation on the redevelopment of the former St. Matthew's Lutheran Church site in the 200 block of M Street, S.W.  The same design team will be working on the project as was selected for the Waterfront Station building in the 1100 block of Fourth Street, S.W.  The proposed structure, primarily apartments, will be 11 stories high on the M Street, S.W. side, and eight stories on the Fourth Street, S.W. side.  An approximately two-three equivalent storied sanctuary will be on the Delaware Avenue, S.W., side.  The redeveloped site will support the restoration of the Delaware Avenue, S.W. perspective from the U.S. Capitol to the waterfront as envisioned in the District's original L'Enfant Plan.  The building will be strongly modernist in design, with a metal-clad exterior framework supporting floor-to-ceiling windows.  A zoning hearing has yet to be scheduled and was seen as no sooner than October.

 

12.  Alcoholic Beverages Commission (ABC) Committee Report

 

Dr. Coralie Farlee stated that Cornercopia has been removed from the agenda.  Dr. Farlee presented Harry's Reserve's request to sell individual containers of beer and ale with a minimum capacity of 22 ounces for a period of one year, with the understanding that the ABC Committee will revisit the exception after one year and consider whether to recommend the exemption as a perpetual authorization. 

 

Commissioner Garber made a motion to support the request with Commissioner McBee seconding.  The motion was passed by a vote of 6-to-1 with Commissioner Craycraft opposed.

 

13.  Chairman's Report

 

Chairman McBee discussed the new Metrobus Route 74 which will replace the current Routes 70 and 71 as well as the Southwest Circulator service in October.  Route 74 will be a loop from Buzzard Point to the south to the Convention Center to the north, with three dedicated buses running approximately every 18 minutes.  The hours of operation will be 5am to 1am seven days a week.  Route 74 will have a dedicated supervisor and WMATA is purchasing three new street-level buses for the route.  Southwest residents bound for Silver Spring will now transfer to Route 70 at the Navy Memorial/Archives bus stop. New shelters will be constructed in Southwest for Route 74 and by December there will be digital signs at each stop with WMATA's NextBus electronic schedule displays.  This will be presented at the next SWNA meeting by WHATA for community input and discussion.

 

The Traffic Study of ANC 6D as previously requested by an ANC Resolution.  DDOT is working on the implementation and scheduling.

 

ANC 6D is waiting on DDOT to implement the enhancements to the 4th and M Street, SW intersection.  Mr. James Cheeks has been asked for a start date and schedule.  Additionally, DDOT will be widening the sidewalks and reducing to one-lane at the area south of the train viaduct.  This is for traffic coming off Ohio Drive onto Maine Avenue, SW at the Fish Market.

 

14.  Community Concerns

 

Several residents expressed their concern with the Southwest Playground Project locating in the Library Park/Town Center East Park.  Gene Solon read a statement of concern to the assembled audience expressing his concern with the waterfront development.

 

15.  Adjournment

 

The meeting was adjourned at 10:05pm.